In its first meet of the season, gymnastics came out strong with a 218.7 to 200.5 win over Rancho Bernardo.
Individually, the team saw strong performances from Bella Paguyo (10) who won the all-around title with 38 points and Alexis Ostrow (11) who won the optional division with 33.9. The top six scores of each event were added together to produce the final team score.
Captain Joyce Chen (11) said the team started off the season strong at their first meet.
“I think overall we were particularly strong on bars and beam,” Chen said. “Usually we are known for having really clean skills and routines, which I think we showed at this first meet.”
Ostrow said preparation played a big role in the team’s performance.
“I’ve been doing both club and high school gymnastics, so I had four days of practice this week plus the meet,” Ostrow said. “It was a lot of practice and hard work but I felt prepared heading into the meet because I know I’m strong in the skills I already have, even though I didn’t have time to add new ones for bonus points.”
Ostrow said she was nervous heading into the first meet of the season, but decided to focus on enjoying the moment.
“I was really nervous the week before because we had only been practicing for a short time, and it felt like everything came up fast,” Ostrow said. “But once I got there, I just tried to have fun and enjoy the meet with my team. That was kind of our team’s mindset too, starting strong and focusing on doing our best and beating our own personal records instead of stressing. We wanted to focus on our own individual goals and made sure that whatever the outcome was, we would be proud about the performance that we put out.”
Ostrow competed in every event, and she said she approached each one with a different mindset.
“On floor, I try to focus on my dance because it helps me feel more confident and enjoy it,” Ostrow said. “Vault is more about just going for it, so running hard and doing [my] best without overthinking. For bars, I visualize my routine beforehand, and on beam, I just have to shut my brain off and focus on each skill in the moment.”
Chen said she saw the team’s performance as a success, especially with several athletes balancing club gymnastics and upcoming state competitions.
“I think we did really well, we scored about two points higher than our first meet last year, which is a big improvement for gymnastics,” Chen said. “A lot of us weren’t competing in every event, so this meet was more about getting into a competitive mindset and adjusting. We were trying to stay healthy for the rest of the season ahead of us.”
Beyond the scores, what stood out for Chen was the supportive team dynamic.
“Before the meet, we kind of just reminded everyone to have fun, enjoy ourselves for our first meet, and I think everyone did,” Chen said. “We had a great time supporting each other, especially cheering each other on during the routines. We’re always the loudest cheerleaders in the room at meets. When we’re competing, it makes [us] feel really good about [ourselves] and really confident in [our] abilities, and I think that’s really unique to our team.”
Similarly, Ostrow said the team morale kept her mind off the stress of competing.
“Everyone really cares about you, especially because it’s a team effort, so it’s really nice that you’re not just doing it for yourself, but you’re doing it for a team,” Ostrow said. “The cheering reminds me that people actually like watching and they care especially because I can be really hard on myself. Everyone focuses on their errors, but the team helps bring you back up after and it makes you ready for the next event. Also I think when you’re cheering on other people, you’re a little distracted from your anxiety about your own routine that’s coming up and takes your mind away from the stress.”
Looking ahead, Chen said the team is focused on building off the strong foundation they established at their first meet.
“I think this team is really special,” Chen said. “It’s a lot bigger than teams before, but I think we all have a common goal in mind, which is to have fun and then hopefully win league finals and CIFs again. We have a lot of new freshmen that are really strong and a lot of juniors and sophomores that can help lead. We all work really hard at practice, which I really love. I think this [meet] sets the tone for a really good season ahead of us, and we’ll continue being confident and having fun.”
